Fire up the grill, gas up the mower, and don’t forget to get those  daily fantasy picks in – it’s time for another go-round at the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run. 

This year’s tournament comes on the heels of the Fourth of July and has a tough act to follow after Rickie Fowler got it done at the Rocket Mortgage Classic for his first Tour victory since 2019. 

This isn’t exactly an elevated event in terms of field strength, with one of the more modest groups we’ve seen all season atop the DFS and golf betting boards. Denny McCarthy is the top-priced player at $10,600, while Russell Henley is next at $10,400. 

Defending champion J.T. Poston is in the field as well, priced at $9,000 at betting apps, and a lesser-known group of contenders means the week-in, week-out DFS grinders should have an advantage with a field of solid players that aren’t exactly household names. 

This event has also served as a launching pad for stardom in past years – two-time winner Jordan Spieth picked up his first career victory here in 2013, while Bryson DeChambeau earned his first Tour win at this event in 2017.

2023 John Deere Classic

Course Location: Silvis, Illinois

Course: TPC Deere Run: 7,289 yards, Par 71. Greens: Bentgrass

Past Winners: 

• 2022 – J.T. Poston, 263 (-21)
• 2021 – Lucas Glover, 265 (-19)
• 2020 – Cancelled
• 2019 – Dylan Frittelli, 263 (-21)
• 2018 – Michael Kim, 257 (-27)

John Deere Classic DFS Picks By Price

12K-9K Range 

Adam Schenk, $9,500: We can’t take McCarthy, Russell, or Ludvig Adberg at these prices in good conscience. This is a fine week to take several stabs way down the board and we’re gonna kick things off on the lower end of the top tier. 

Schenk has been a wizard with the irons lately, and he has five top-10s in his last five starts – solo second at the Charles Schwab, T-7 at the Memorial, and a solo seventh at last week’s Rocket Mortgage. 

He keeps it in the fairway more often than not and the putter has been on fire. That’s a great all-around combo for this course. We’re absolutely getting Schenk in the lineup as he’s one of the hottest players on the field. 

Emiliano Grillo, $9,200: Grillo had been trending up earlier this season and capped his run with a win at the Charles Schwab. The 30-year-old now has eight top-25 finishes on the season coming off his T-15 at the Travelers. 

He also finished T-2 in his John Deere debut a year ago and should have plenty of confidence against a field like this. Don’t be surprised if Grillo is playing in the final pairing on Sunday. 

9K-8K Range

Christiaan Bezuidenhout, $8,500: Bezuidenhout is one of those players who’s always tempting in DFS. The price is usually right, he’s an above-average ball striker and he keeps it in the fairway. 

He’s not a great fit on the big, brawny tracks, but TPC Deere Run sets up very well for his game. He finished runner-up alongside Grillo last year, and he has three top-25s in his last eight starts. The game looked very similar at this point a year ago when he nearly won here, and it should be another solid week for Bezuidenhout in rural Illinois. 

Doug Ghim, $8,000: Keeping it in play off the tee is the name of the game this week, and that’s one area where Ghim always excels. It’s been a struggle getting everything else in alignment, but lately, we’ve seen Ghim put it all together with five consecutive cuts made. 

He also finished T-33 or better and had positive Strokes Gained Approach in all five starts. We’ve been expecting more from Ghim over the past few years, but this could be a breakout week for the 27-year-old.

8K-7K Range

Mark Hubbard, $7,700: Hubbard will probably be off the radar this week after back-to-back missed cuts, but they weren’t disastrous by any means. He missed the cut on the number at -3 last week in Detroit and was two shots off with a -1 over two rounds at the Travelers. 

This should be a perfect course for him where lack of pop off the tee doesn’t matter and the fairway finders are rewarded. Hubbard’s irons have been dialed for the past few months and he has some recent top-10s, with a T-6 at the Canadian Open and T-9 at the Charles Schwab. This is another ideal setup for him and the price is right.

Chez Reavie, $7,700: Very few courses on Tour appeal to a player like Reavie. TPC Deere Run is definitely up his alley. Distance isn’t a major factor and a strict fairways and greens approach will yield success. 

Reavie’s iron game has been outstanding lately and the results have come with it – nine made cuts in his last 10 starts, including a T-4 at the Travelers Championship and T-6 at the Valero Texas Open. Reavie has made the cut seven times in 10 John Deere appearances, and the game is in great shape coming in this week.  . 

7K and Below

Davis Thompson, $6,900: The 24-year-old out of Georgia has had some success in his first full season on Tour, and these next few tournaments are absolutely massive. He’s currently 69^th in the FedEx Cup standings, with the top 70 players qualifying for the playoffs and retaining their Tour cards for 2023. 

He helped his cause with a T-24 at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, and he’s faired well in the birdie-fests this season with a solo second at the American Express, T-12 at the Shriners and T-9 at the Fortinet Championship. He hits it a long way off the tee, but he keeps it in play and should have a ton of birdie looks this week. We like Thompson out of the bargain bin.

William Mouw, $6,600: Mouw is ready for his first PGA Tour start as a professional after receiving a sponsor exemption to tee it up this week. The 22-year-old out of Pepperdine was a three-time All-American and he’s played well in four Korn Ferry Tour starts this summer. 

He’s made all four cuts and has three straight top-25s, including a T-17 at last week’s Memorial Health Championship. We’d always prefer to take a younger, unknown talent than a veteran who’s way past his prime in this price range and Mouw fits the bill. He could be a sneaky good play if you need someone on the cheap. 

2023 John Deere Classic, Date & TV

When: Thursday-Sunday, July 6-9

Where: TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois

TV: Golf Channel, CBS